


Soft Summer Day

by blessedharlot



Category: The Great Library Series - Rachel Caine
Genre: Bathing Suits, Fluff, Multi, Nothing But Fluff Here Folks, Post-Series, The Wolfe Pack (The Great Library), Wine, but he favors strings, fluff as far as the eye can see, no one is clear just how many different instruments Wolfe can secretly play, post-series wealthy Jess, warm breezes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 17:16:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19213948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessedharlot/pseuds/blessedharlot
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin. The Wolfe Pack lounge lakeside in a soothing, off-the-cuff bit of softness.





	Soft Summer Day

The vibrancy of every living thing buzzed all around Morgan. She let it brush her bare skin and soak into her heart like the warmth of the day’s crystalline sun.

It was the sort of day that made all of them a little intoxicated. The gloss on the subtle waves in the lake... the soft black silhouettes of birds on wing... the ethereal solidity of the mountains hugging their view. All eight of them had seemed to hum and float their way through their whole day's exploration of Jess’ potential land purchase.

They were together, like family. And they were safe.

Morgan looked around her and marveled at how each of them wore something that reflected their evolving lives. From far out on the lake, Dario and Jess’s swim trunks bore a resemblance to one another's. As they’d grown even closer, they'd influenced each others' styles as young but well-known Scholars… Jess borrowing Dario's penchant for jewel tones, and Dario sometimes letting Jess' more subtle style shape him. With no one around to impress but family, Dario wore a looser fitting trunk like Jess' today. 

Morgan looked over her right shoulder then at Khalila, leaning on the rail of the pier watching the boys on the lake. Khalila drank from her own mug of icewater, most of her body hugged by a thin black long-sleeved outfit, made of Thomas and Christopher's new breathable fabric. It looked gloriously comfortable, and had a modern, elegant style. The line of Khalila's shoulders radiated peace and relaxation. Nic relaxed between them, in a reclining chair similar to Morgan’s - sunning his calm, furry form and reading a book Jess had bought him - in sleek new Italian swim shorts that matched his eyes and his recent playful demeanor. Glain’s more upright deck chair faced the mountain behind them instead of the lake at their feet. She pointed binoculars at the wildlife on the mountain, and wore a new one piece made of the same black fabric as Khalila’s, hers showing off her muscular arms and calves. Its was both utilitarian and flattering.

Morgan looked down at herself wearing the swimsuit she'd chosen for the day - one of the new, daring, barely-there two pieces. Her lack of clothes mirrored her lack of cares these days. The flesh memories of all those days spent hiding, days of fiercely protecting her own body, even recent days of comforting privacy she'd carefully crafted for herself… they were all melted away right now. She luxuriated in the kiss of the sunshine against her flesh. _This was the right choice for today,_ she thought. She took a sip from the cool cup of wine in her hand, and let the soft buzz that she felt grow within her and around her.

Jess and Dario's voices floated up from the lake, though Morgan couldn't make out the content. Morgan looked up just as they both sped by on the wild new contraptions Thomas was testing for a colleague. They called them motor-skis, taking in lake water and spitting it out the back to skim quickly across the surface, and they made Jess and Dario look like they raced strange metal horses through the water.

The two of them had, of course, immediately busied themselves testing who could go faster on one of them.

“Who’s winning?” Nic asked, not looking up from his book.

“Does it matter?” Glain asked.

“Not in the slightest,” Wolfe said, arriving on the scene with a guitar in hand. The wind lifted his loose hair as dramatically as it blew open his unbuttoned sheer linen shirt, fluttering against his own Alexandrian-style loose shorts.

Morgan goggled briefly at the guitar. She hadn’t seen him bring one on the trip. She didn't even realize he played. She also noticed, with amusement, that though she had permission to use both men’s first names, Nic had easily segued into being thought of as Nic. Scholar Christopher Wolfe, however, was still firmly Wolfe in her mind. Or sir.

“Have you had that with you the whole time?” Morgan asked.

Wolfe - Christopher - looked at her with an expression she once thought was genuine irritability, though she now knew it preceded him saying something he would quite enjoy saying.

“Yes, I did,” Christopher said. “I’ve kept it hidden it in my trousers.”

Khalila and Glain laughed. Morgan gave them both a good-natured frown.

“I bought it on the excursion Nic and I took into town this afternoon,” Christopher said, “upon discovering the sad state of the wine cellar here.”

“Baroque,” Khalila said, coming close to examine the guitar. “Very nice, sir.”

“I thought so,” Christopher replied. “Now you’ll all be forced to hear me practice.”

“That sounds like a deeply delightful addition to the afternoon,” Khalila smiled, putting a hand on his arm.

“You say that now,” Christopher replied, as he sat down on the bottom half of Nic’s lounge chair. “Nic, refresh everyone’s wine. They’ll need it.”

Nic beamed at Chris and his guitar, clearly thrilled at Chris’ choices. Then he tilted his gaze toward the rest of them in turn, holding up the nearby wine bottle. 

"Right then," Nic said. "Who needs a refresher?"

Morgan got herself topped off just after Glain did. 

As she sipped her refreshed drink, Morgan saw Jess and Dario both stopped and bobbing on their machines in the water, looking at the mountain and waving.

She turned around to look, but couldn’t make anyone out from where she lay.

“Who are they waving at?” Khalila asked, apparently having the same trouble Morgan was having.

“Thomas,” Glain said, lowering her binoculars and waving. “He’s hiked up to that second ridge.”

“Already?” Khalila asked, as Morgan took Glain’s proffered binoculars. “It’s so easy to forget just how long his legs are, he must have bounded up there.”

Morgan lifted her magnified sights to the second ridge, scanning a minute before she found Thomas. His cheeks were pink with a broad smile on his face, his hair just a bit damp at the temples. He leaned on a huge tree trunk, clearly enjoying picking out all his tiny friends below, and waved merrily at Morgan. She smiled and waved back.

“I think the mountain gets a good grade from Thomas,” Morgan said, handing the binoculars off to a smiling, curious Khalila. "Glain?"

"Capriolo, lynxes, thrushes, warblers, several kinds of jays," Glain reported with interest.

"I'm taking that as a yes," Morgan replied. “The grocery selection in town, gentlemen? What do you think?”

“Suitable,” Chrisopher said. “For its size. Worth the trade off for the seclusion here… oh, excepting the ghastly wine selection.”

Nic nodded in agreement. “I’m sure Jess can get his collection up to speed soon enough from other sources.”

“The lake gets full marks, I expect,” Morgan said. “We’ll have to get Jess and Dario to weigh in on that when they get back.”

“This pier is lovely,” Khalila said.

“It really is,” Glain said. “I could get used to having this in the family.”

“I want full reports on all your bedrooms,” Morgan gently demanded.

“There’s a ridiculous fool who often loiters in hers,” Glain said, pointing to Khalila.

“That was her choice, Glain,” Morgan said. “I can’t help that.”

“No more than you can help yours,” Christopher offered.

“Yes, thank you,” Morgan replied, as Khalilla laughed. “I need reports on your rooms that don’t emphasize any questionable personal life choices,” Morgan continued, voice thick with humor.

“Fair enough,” Chris said, his fingers gently exploring the strings of the guitar as everyone quieted and pretended not to enjoy the sounds.

 

Half an hour later, Christopher’s fingers and new instrument had warmed up, and he'd played half a dozen short, beautiful songs. Morgan had no idea how long he’d known how to play, but he was obviously quite skilled.

The vision of Chris' arms curled around the guitar, his spine carrying that graceful air musicians always had while they played, it was all striking enough that when Thomas passed by - clearly on his way to the house to change from his hike - he wandered down instead to join them on the pier. He somehow pulled his giant boots silently across the warm wood, and quietly dropped down cross-legged, cocking his head to listen to the ballad Chris played.

Even Jess and Dario’s rowdy approach from the side of the pier a few minutes later was quickly and organically silenced. They both smiled as they came close and heard Chris play, and they each slowly and quietly slipped around toward their lovers.

Jess arrived at arm’s length to Morgan, his hair dripping on the soft towel around his shoulders, his skin glistening from the sun and water. 

With a hand to his cheek, Morgan kissed him - a quick, warm touch - and he pulled back with a large smile on his face. Jess sat down on the edge of her chair and listened.

Morgan, for her part, subtly looked around and savored the joy on everyone's faces, and the stillness in her heart.

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be on a lake I picked out in Northern Italy. But then there wasn't an organic place where it got mentioned, and I feel like I shouldn't insult the wine selection at any small northern Italian lakeside towns so here we are.
> 
> Yes Morgan's wearing a bikini. And enjoying it. Several others may be enjoying Morgan's bikini too. Ooo la la.
> 
> Yes Chris and Thomas have invented spandex. No I dont know how.
> 
> Yes those are jetskis. No I dont know how theyve leapt to that either. You ask a lot of questions, dont you?
> 
> Is Chris singing too? Or does anyone join in? Idk its up to you.
> 
> It's been a rough few weeks so please tell me how much you liked my fluff. And thanks for reading!


End file.
